Hola Cuba - People to People for US citizens

Travel to Cuba and experience the enthralling history of this fascinating Caribbean island.

For the first time in decades, Cuba’s doors are open to American travellers. Be one of the first to experience this faded Caribbean gem – a cobblestoned communist isle where the rum is plentiful, the smiles infectious and the dancing encouraged. On our new 9-day Hola Cuba adventure, wind your way from sultry Havana’s crumbling churches, through the valleys and farms of Pinar del Rio and on to the Afro-inspired beats of Trinidad. Along the way we’ve assembled a cast of Cuban characters to give you a proper welcome: tobacco farmers, expert chefs, local artists, historians and salsa dancers that understand where Cuba came from, where the country sits now and, more importantly, where it’s going.

Is this trip right for you?

Cash is difficult to access in Cuba. Credit cards (not debit cards) are essential – ideally multiple credit cards from several different banks.

Luxuries such as air conditioning, and even kitchen sinks, are often scarce. Part of the experience here is learning to appreciate everyday Cuban resourcefulness.

There's plenty of time to eat the delights of the sea, but it's good to keep in mind that accompaniments are not as expansive as in another countries, due to limitations on imports

Internet access can be hard to come by, and when it's available it's often unreliable and expensive. This is, on the other hand, a great opportunity to take a break from modern devices and have a true holiday.

Cuba is different and that’s what makes it such a fascinating destination. You will find that things don’t always go according to plan or work the way they do back home. Regulations concerning foreigners and currency may appear strange to you, buses and planes often run late and sometimes the water in your bathroom can run cold and the electricity fail. In order to get the most out of your holiday, a degree of patience, good humour and understanding is a definite advantage. Cuba may not be wealthy in a monetary sense, however if you approach your holiday with an open and enquiring mind, the warm welcome you receive from Cubans will ensure you a rich and rewarding holiday experience.

An arrival transfer from the airport to your guesthouse is included in your tour.
Complimentary transfers are only applicable if on day 1. Please advise flight arrival details at least 14 days prior to departure if you wish to have this transfer provided.

Today we arrive in Havana and settle into our guesthouse accommodations. Take some time to soak in the decaying beauty of Havana and the surreal feeling that you have entered a bygone era. You are visiting Cuba at a historic time, as the gates finally creak open to a country so long forbidden.

At 6pm we meet the local tour leader and head out for your first group meal. Your leader is sure to become an old friend by the end of our adventure.

Dinner tonight will be at a local paladar, a privately owned restaurant and a great example of Cuba’s incremental shift to a more free-market economy. We might have the opportunity to meet the owners of the Paladar: Ivan Justo or Enrique Nunez del Valle. Paladar means “palate” and is named after a chain of restaurants in a Brazilian soap opera popular in Cuba.

We will attend the famous cannon ceremony a 9 p.m cannon blast that dates back to the 17th century.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer

Havana - La Cabana Fortress canon blast ceremony

Meals Included

The best place to start any Havana experience is in the Old City. Havana's Old City is one of the best preserved and was designated a World Heritage Site in 1982. The streets are lined with colonial architecture, 16th century fortresses and countless churches.

Join our local guide for a walking tour of Old Havana. We will visit La Catedral San Cristobal de la Habana, the Palacio de los Marqueses de Aguas Claras and the Plaza de Armas. We will also visit the Museo de la Revolucion, to learn about the history of the Cuban Revolution and see the infamous Hall of Cretins.

After lunch you'll see the passion project of Jose Fuster, an artist who has turned an entire neighborhood into a lively and colorful series of mosaics. Known as 'Fusterlandia', the inspiring and whimsical scenery is a perfect spot for pictures, and you may have the chance to say 'hola' to the artist as he works!

Free time for dinner to explore one of many delicious paladars, private businesses owned by Cuban families.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Havana - Leader led City Tour of Old Havana

Havana - Visit to Jaimanitas

Meals Included

Today head east to a local community in Las Terrazas. The village was built as part of a government reforestation project and has since received a UNESCO biosphere listing. Meet up with local community leaders who will share with us some insight into Las Terrazas and how society works. We will also visit the ecological research centre and take a local guided walk around the Las Terrazas complex.

Afterwards we continue on to Viñales - situated in one of the most picturesque parts of Cuba, among the limestone pincushion hills (“mogotes”) of the Pinar del Rio province. It is a small and culturally rich village, with friendly and welcoming residents.

We will reach Vinales in time to tour an organic farm and learn about sustainable farming in Cuba. Here we meet local farmer Wilfredo Garcia Correa and his family who will show us around the farm and explain to us the methods used to cultivate crops without the use of pesticides. With the beautiful sunset as our backdrop, we will enjoy a deliciously fresh and diverse meal prepared by the family, a truly authentic farm-to-fork experience!

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Las Terrazas - Visit to Sustainable Rural Economy Project

Vinales - Leader Led Orientation Walk

Vinales - Visit to Organic Farm

Meals Included

Today we spend the morning learning more about Cuban agriculture with a visit a local tobacco farm where we learn about the tradition of Cuban cigars from Hiroshi Robaina, a farmer and expert cigar maker.

Get an insight as to how the communist system works, how much tobacco they keep, how much produce they give back to the government, how do they make ends meat!! You will learn about the process of tobacco planting to rolling the final cigar. We will share in the secret recipe from one family passed down through 3 generations of how they cure their leaves for cigars, drink some freshly roasted coffee from the farm while we watch an expert roll us some cigars.

Viñales is one of the more agriculturally productive areas of Cuba, so an abundance of local seasonal fruit and vegetables are always on offer such as enormous avocados and mangoes, pineapples, papaya, guava, and several varieties of sweet potatoes.

In the afternoon we learn to cook Cuban-style with a cooking demonstration from a local chef. Afterwards we can sit back, relax and enjoy the well prepared meal while overlooking the rolling mountains of Vinales.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Vinales - Visit to Tobacco Farm

Vinales - Cooking Demonstration by Local Chef

Meals Included

Today we head to Cienfuegos. On the way we visit the Korimakao Cultural Project in Ciénega de Zapata, an area famous for its wetlands. Korimakao is a project founded in 1992 to bring theatre, music, and dancing to remote areas of Cuba. Here we will meet a director of the project, who will talk to us about the importance of this project and the number of students that benefit from such a project in this area.

After lunch, we drive along the picturesque Bay of Pigs past the site where the landing of U.S. sponsored counter-revolutionary exile militia occurred in 1961. Today there is a museum here that recounts the events of this conflict which resulted in the first defeat of a U.S backed take-over in Latin America.

There are some beautiful places to stop for a swim along the way including a sink hole which resembles a huge natural tropical fish tank, so make sure to pack your swim wear and snorkeling gear if you have any (or you can rent it!).

We carry on to Cienfuegos the “Pearl of the South”, a city founded by the French, which lends it a distinctly European flavor, with a wide Parisian-style boulevard and elegant colonnades. Like Havana, Cienfuegos has a beautiful Malecón, where you can pass a peaceful evening watching fisherman cast nets and locals socialize.

On arrival to Cienfuegos we settle into our guesthouses before taking a walk around the city to learn its history. In the evening we join together for another delicious home cooked meal with a local family.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Cienaga Zapata - Korimakao Cultural Project

Cienfuegos - Leader Led Walking City Tour

Meals Included

The beautiful colonial city of Trinidad is home to numerous churches and many beautiful colonial buildings. We are near the lovely Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of Sugar mills) and Playa Ancón, with long stretches of unspoiled, white sand beaches.

We begin with a guided cultural tour of the UNESCO World Heritage town of Trinidad. We will visit the Afro Cuban temple of Yemaya, where we will be invited to sit and learn about the religion and it’s deities from the official caretaker - a priest called Israel Ernesto Bravo Vega. Later we may have a opportunity to visit various museums such as: Museo Lucha contra Bandidos, Architecture Museum, Museo Romantico.

After lunch we will learn about the dancing scene in Cuba. We’ll start by meeting the Afro Cuban Folkloric dance group that perform Afro Cuban shows at the club Palenque. We’ll learn about the cultural and social importance that dancing has to Cuba. Enjoy a Cuban salsa dance class with a local teacher.

Nightlife in Trinidad is probably the most accessible and intense in all of Cuba, with numerous live music venues and many dance performances every day of the week, all amongst the enchanting setting of old colonial buildings and the cobblestone streets.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Trinidad - Leader led Cultural Tour

Trinidad - Salsa Dance Lesson

Meals Included

Today we will learn about the history of the area, the local industry and biodiversity. Visit the national park called "El Cubano" in the mountains of Escambay. This area is known for the struggle Cuban Militia against revolutionary forces in the early 1960s.

We will hike to a small waterfall with our local expert guide. Depending on the group the hike can take up to 45 minutes each way. We will have a chance to experience the region's biodiversity utilising the guide's knowledge of the local birds and plants. If time permits on the way we will stop in a very simple campesino’s home to experience life in the rural areas of Cuba.

Afterwards we return to Trinidad and we visit the pottery workshop of the Santander family. This prestigious family in the Cuban cultural landscape has been making pottery for generations as well as assisting in the restoration of sculptures that once existed in this UNESCO world heritage site. You will have a chance to purchase your own pottery to remind you of your time in Cuba.

Tonight, weather permitting we may have a beach dinner picnic at Playa Ancon.

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Trinidad - Walk to Waterfalls

Trinidad - Visit to Pottery Center

Meals Included

Breakfast

Lunch

Dinner

Special Information

The waterfall hike does have railings however good sturdy shoes are recommended.

On the way back to Havana we first pass by Manaca Iznaga 16km East of Trinidad in the Valle de los Ingenios. A 44m tower was built to look over the slaves as they worked. It has a sugar cane press that the slaves used to operate. The village around the mansion is inhabited by direct descendants of the slaves.

Continuing onward, we stop in the town of Santa Clara, a key city in the Cuban Revolution. Upon entering Santa Clara, we will see the iconic statue of Ernesto Ché Guevara, built to commemorate his death and that of the revolutionaries. You will have time to explore the museum which honours Ché's life.

We will have our lunch at a small family farm near Santa Clara and head back to Havana where we will have some time to freshen up before our farewell dinner, and of course, one final fun-filled night of music and dancing!

Accommodation

Guesthouse (1 night)

Included Activities

Manaca Iznaga - Visit to Sugar Mill

Santa Clara - Visit to Che Guevara Mausoleum and Museum

Meals Included

Say good-bye to our guide as we head back to the U.S. There are no activities planned for day 9 and you are able to depart the guesthouse at any time. Check out time is at 10am. If you are departing later, you can arrange luggage storage at the house.

Next trip departures

Jump to a departure month

Important notes

2. Intrepid US, Inc. ("Intrepid US") is authorized to provide those who register as participants in our programs to visit Cuba legally for educational people-to-people interactions. Our "Cuban Adventures" program provides a full-time schedule of people-to-people educational exchange activities designed to result in meaningful interactions between our travelers and individuals in Cuba. United States law requires that all participants in our programs adhere to the full-time schedule of people-to-people activities. Due to the nature of the program, United States law requires adherence to a special set of guidelines for travel on these unique programs. Please read the guidelines and Frequently Asked Questions (outlined under "Important Notes" section of trip notes) carefully, and call our special Cuba connection line at 1 800 970 7299 or visit www.intrepidtravel.com if you have questions.

3. Only one night pre accommodation may be requested due to licensing restrictions. This exception is based on airline schedules and is also subject to availability. Post accommodation cannot be offered.

4. There are unprecedented changes happening in Cuba right now. It is an exciting time but it also means some patience and understanding is required for the heightened demand of infrastructure, accommodation and crowds.

Essential Trip Information

Want an in-depth insight into this trip? Essential Trip Information provides a detailed itinerary, visa info, how to get to your hotel, what's included - pretty much everything you need to know about this adventure and more.

Reviews

Susan Donk

Intrepid's trip notes and descriptions are what sold me on the type of experience I wanted to have in Cuba. The actual trip outweighed the words in the description more than I could have imagined. I felt safe, and excited to experience each day's activities and with our trip leader Tony, guiding us there was learning and laughter in every discussion. Intrepid is a tour company I will definitely sign up with again.

Mary Antonette Araya

Cuba is amazing! The people, culture, and food made for an incredible experience. The accommodations are not like Western standards, so be prepared. I would suggest bringing toilet paper, hand sanitizer, any feminine products you like to use, soap sheets (which you can purchase at any camping store), and a sleeping bag liner.

Review submitted 04 Dec 2016

Hola Cuba - People to People for US citizens trip reviews

Our Hola Cuba - People to People for US citizens trips score an average of 4.69 out of 5
based on 87 reviews in the last year.